A Galaxy Dark: The Final Hope
by Nostalgic-Reegar
Summary: Darth Vader discovered his son on Tatooine when Luke was a child. Thirteen years later, Vader rules the Galactic Empire with Luke as his main enforcer, while construction of the planet-destroying Death Star nears completion. Princess and prisoner Leia Organa begins to realize her Force potential under Starkiller's guidance. (Readers can soon vote for the Light or Dark Side path.)
1. One

_[ AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is an introduction. Future chapters will be much longer. I look forward to reading your thoughts and opinions, if you have any. :) ]_

* * *

Luke Skywalker entered the blown hatch of Tantive IV and strode past fallen storm troopers. Smoke and sulfur polluted the air. He turned a corner where rebel corpses lay. A squadron waited at the end of the corridor and moved aside as their cloaked commander neared. The ship's captain stood with his hands behind his head.

"You intercepted classified Imperial data," Luke said. "Where did you store it?"

He shook his head. "There's a mistake. We're on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan."

Luke raised a gloved hand and slowly closed it into a fist. The captain fell to his knees and gripped his chest.

"Come again, Captain?"

"I swear. We're sanctioned by the Galactic Senate." The fist closed fully and the captain fell over. Blood seeped from his mouth.

"Find the data," Luke said to his subordinates. "Arrest all passengers."

* * *

Princess Leia Organa took a humble posture and voice as the astromech began to record. "This message is for General Obi-Wan Kenobi, hailed Jedi Knight of the Old Republic, who served my father in the Clone Wars. The Rebellion desperately requires your help."

Footsteps sounded at the entrance to the maintenance hall. She backed out of sight, grabbed her blaster and peeked through a gap in the pipes to see who had come. A man about her age of nineteen halted midway down the hall to stare at the astromech. A metallic rod was clipped to his belt. The woman held her breath and readied her trigger finger. He stepped forward. She crouched deeper in shadow. Her recording then played meters away.

"Kenobi is dead," The stranger in black said. "I watched Darth Vader slay him on the planet below, thirteen years ago. You may step out, Your Highness. You are now my prisoner."


	2. Two

_Special thanks to ILDV, Jamy Skywalker, liamj128, mchef90, twihard1990, MommyMayI, and That'70sfan._

* * *

Luke Skywalker, flanked by two security guards, found the proper cell in the detention block of the Death Star.

"A visit from Emperor Vader's number one stooge?" Leia sat on a bench. "I must even more important than I thought. And the Rebellion more of a threat to the Empire than I could have hoped."

"A threat? A pest, I assure you." Luke put his hands on his hips and towered over her. "I have a personal question before we begin the true interrogation. You had a clear shot at my back on the cruiser. Why did you pass?"

Leia shifted on the bench and swallowed. She stared up at him in defiance.

"That was a rhetorical question," The man said. "I projected what is called a dark side cloud while I searched for you. The cloud smothers people in their own fear." He came closer until her face was aligned with his stomach and lowered his voice. "I sensed resistance."

She returned his stare in silence.

"I find laughable the notion that you received formal training in the Force, as all indications point to the Jedi being extinct."

Leia spoke at last. "What is your point?"

"I would like to proposition you, princess. There is a chance you possess a latent potential in the Force. Above average potential, at any rate. Agree to have the Emperor himself train you."

"Did that proposition sound less stupid in your head?" Leia clicked her tongue. "I was against in the Emperor in my mother's womb, Skywalker, and the years have only strengthened my resolve. Interrogate me all you wish, but you'll return to your master with empty hands. The Rebellion lives on."

Luke studied her for a few moments. He then raised his hand and snapped his fingers. A guard opened the cell door and a spherical black droid floated inside. It held a syringe and an assortment of spinning razor blades. Leia's eyes widened and she pressed her back to the wall.

"We will discuss the location of your hidden Rebel base."

Luke side-stepped and the droid took his spot. A spindly arm reached close and its blade paused a few centimeters from her face. Leia's breath became heavy. Sweat dribbled from her forehead. She looked to the dark-clad man with wide eyes.

"Your fear is ice cold. Appetizing. Give me more of it."

The syringe shot forward and pierced her shoulder. Leia gasped, wavered, and fell sideways atop the bench. She tried to sit up, but her arms were too weak. Sweat now soaked her face. She whimpered.

Luke crouched down beside her. "The darkness suffocates. The darkness blinds. You are lost in an abyss."

She groaned as her eyes fell closed. "Someone. Anyone." Her voice was girlish and faint as she spoke through the depths of her imagined hell.

"Listen. I am come to help, Leia. I've finally found you. Can you hear me?"

"Yes. I can hear. Help me, please. I want out."

"We both do, Leia, but I'm missing the key."

"Key?"

"The fear is growing. If it becomes too powerful, we'll both be trapped forever. I need the key."

"I'm so scared. I need out. Please. Where's the key?"

"Information. Where is the Rebel base? Tell me where."

"Rebel base?"

"Correct. The fear is becoming too powerful, Leia. You are paralyzed. The darkness swallows you whole as we speak. Retrieve the key. Give it to me." The woman writhed like a serpent. "I said that you are paralyzed. Your body is as stone, as it will remain for all time unless you reveal the whereabouts of your friends."

Leia gritted her teeth and panted. She raised shaking arms.

Luke cocked an eyebrow and tilted his head, bewildered.

She reached for his throat. He stayed where he was. Her hands found their goal and tightened. She opened her eyes and stared straight into his.

"Die, Imperial scum. Die."

Luke slapped her hands away and rose.


	3. Three

_Special thanks to froovygirl, Claytonimor, Zaconator and Zackis, Ia Aira._

_froovygirl: Leia's fun to write for those exact reasons you listed. =D_

* * *

Leia was alone in the cell. She sighed and shut wet eyes.

She found herself in a swamp. A bat screeched. Mists swirled at her feet and around vine-burdened trees.

"Travel to the Dagobah system. Learn ways of Jedi, you must."

"Who is that?" She glanced about.

"Guide you to Yoda, I shall. Last of the Jedi Masters, he is. His days grow short. Time runs out."

A light swelled behind fog. Leia squinted and walked toward the light, her feet sloshing on the terrain. A creature swooped down and brandished its claws at her.

* * *

Luke loomed over Leia yet again, creature-like himself. "Two hours of sleep is plenty for our most honored guest. Get up. We have an appointment with Grand Moff Tarkin, who itches to try his own methods at breaking you."

Leia stretched, stood, and brought her hands together in front of her to be cuffed. Luke and two guards led her to the nearest lift, where they were crammed together in a tight spot. The woman eyed the hilt at Luke's belt. They reached their destination in the Death Star's main control room.

Tarkin gazed out a vast view port at the planet Alderaan. He turned and his line of a mouth curled to a sneer. "She looks refreshed, Commander Skywalker. Thank you for escorting her."

"Governor Tarkin," Leia said. "I thought I recognized your foul stench when I was brought on board."

Tarkin's skeletal face hardened. "Charming, to the last."

"Her resistence to hypnotism and the mind probe are supernatural," Luke said. His front was pressed against her back. "Let us see if we can cut through to her soul." He set a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. "The Death Star starves for blood."

"Indeed," Tarkin pointed out the view port. "I'm sure you recognize Alderaan. How many loved-ones are on its surface? How many memories do you hold dear from there?"

"You've sunk to threatening what amounts to a child in the Senatorial planets," Leia scoffed. "Alderaan's a peaceful planet. We gave up weapons a long time ago."

"The Commander and I grow tired of asking, so it will be the last time. Where is the Rebel base?"

Leia stared him in the eyes and clenched her jaw. Seconds ticked by in silence.

Tarkin addressed a man behind a control panel. "You may fire when ready."

Leia struggled against Luke's hold. The station shook somewhat under their feet. A hum filled the air.

"I've waited so long to see this," Tarkin said.

The woman gritted her teeth. Her nails dug into her palms, blood running to her wrists. "Stop. Stop it."

A cold wind gusted in the cavernous chamber. Tarkin and Skywalker exchanged bewildered glances. Officers looked at equipment as though it were malfunctioning.

A shock-wave erupted from Leia. Everyone in a radius of a few meters left the ground and zoomed away. Tarkin slammed into the view port with a crack and slid to the floor.


	4. Four

_Froovygirl: Leia faces the dark side, for sure. Under the watchful eyes of a chilling devil and stoic cyborg. ;)_

_JadedOfMara: Several EU characters will make appearances. There's a place for Mara in here._

_Ia Aira: Thanks! I'll try to keep this awesome for you._

* * *

The binders fell from her wrists and clattered to the floor. Leia stared at her own hands in shock before her eyes rolled back and she crumpled.

Luke massaged his head and sat up. Storm troopers and officers ran over to him. "Commander, sir, are you hurt?"

He ripped the hilt from his belt. The crimson blade hissed to life. It zipped about the control room and sliced through Imperials like butter. Screams abruptly muted. The slaughter took but a few seconds before the lightsaber returned to its wielder. Blast doors sealed themselves shut and security cameras exploded.

Tarkin stirred. "What happened here?"

"Remain in this chamber until I order otherwise," Luke lifted Leia in his arms. A switch flipped at a dead man's station. A trap door levitated up and drifted away to expose a narrow, dark shaft. Luke walked to the edge, stepped onto empty air and floated down.

"Yoda. Dagobah system," Leia mumbled, head on his shoulder.

* * *

Luke set Leia down beside him. She was now dressed in a black body suit, her hair down. A heavy collar with blinking lights hugged her neck. The man knelt in front of the hologram platform as a ghostly image appeared above its surface. The Sith Lord's respirator punctuated their conversation.

"Master. Father."

"I sensed a peculiar surge in the dark side," Darth Vader said. "We have a possible new recruit to our ranks."

"Leia Organa of Alderaan. We threatened her planet. Fear and anger ignited a powerful reaction that caught even myself by surprise."

There was a prolonged pause as Vader studied the woman. "Bail Organa is an ordinary politician by all accounts, and his wife is even less notable."

"The easiest explanation is recessive genetics."

"I would know of Force-sensitives in the Organa lineage. There are none."

Luke nodded slowly. "My duties to the Empire make my participation in her lessons minimal. I ask that someone fill the role in my frequent absences."

"The girl is your responsibility. Nonetheless. I shall send Starkiller when he is available. Indefinitely confine her to the cortosis level of your Destroyer. If she continues to show promise, you must bring her before me."

"She will join us or die, master." Luke bowed.

* * *

Leia tied her hair into a tail. Two long locks framed her face. She checked herself in the mirror and then opened it to take a pill bottle from a shelf. She filled a cup with water, downed it with the pill, and took a deep breath.

Her quarters were plain: a metal chair, a fold-out bed, a sink and toilet in a closet-sized space. The walls and floor were dull metallic.

"How long have I been here?" She held a recorder. "My food comes two twice a day from a compartment down the hall. War rations. Stew and crackers for dinner. I received a note last evening that said I must be dressed and ready for hand-to-hand combat this time today. A visitor is to come train me. For what, who knows. I'm about to find out." She readjusted the collar at her neck. The skin underneath had reddened. "The only other room here is a cargo slash shuttle bay. I've searched everywhere for an exit, but my only escape is through space vacuum."

Something rumbled nearby, followed by the hum of repulsorlifts. "Speaking of which," Leia tossed the recorder onto her pillow and ran from the room.


	5. Five

A small, angular starship landed in the docking bay. A man descended the ramp. He looked to be in his late twenties, with a shaved head and chiseled features. He wore a sleeveless tunic which advertised his toned arms. A spindly droid followed him.

Leia stepped out from behind some crates and stood erect. "Good afternoon. You must be Starkiller."

"Princess Leia," Starkiller stopped and crossed his arms. "Skywalker tells me you know jack of lightsaber combat. And next to jack about using the Force deliberately. I'm here to change that."

"I could refuse your lessons."

He ignored this and raised a hand. The collar at her neck opened and floated to settle in an open tool box. "Have you ever received formal training?"

Leia, frustrated, scrunched her lips and shook her head.

"Close your eyes," The man said.

"Why?"

"Do it."

"Fine."

"OK. You can open them now."

Darth Vader stood in front of her. She was rooted to the spot. "Where did he come from?" Then she blinked. "Oh. The droid."

"Proxy has the ability to assume the shape and fighting style of thousands of warriors in history."

Pseudo-Vader gripped his lightsaber hilt. Leia side-stepped a few times until she was a few yards away. "Give me a weapon."

Starkiller smiled deviously. "You're demanding for an apprentice. If you want a weapon, take it from me." He nodded down to the two rods at his belt.

Pseudo-Vader ignited his blade and slashed at Leia. The tip came centimeters from her front. She ran a hand along the fabric where it almost made contact. Then her opponent shot forward to slam the blade down on her head. She cried out and side-rolled, barely dodging.

Leia hissed and lunged at her instructor, hand outstretched. He slid from her reach. She tried again, but a flash swooped from behind. The woman did a front roll this time. A long, scorched gash smoked on her back.

"Ouch," Starkiller said. "And to think his settings are on easy."

Leia grit her teeth, narrowed her eyes at Starkiller, and bolted after him. She lowered to the ground and spun as she sent repeated wheel-kicks at his shins. He jumped and skirted, but one foot hit. THUD! The princess used that one millisecond, grabbed the hilt, rose up and kneed him in the stomach.

Pseudo-Vader's breath drew closer. She switched on a green glowing rod and spun around, blocking an attack that had been aimed for her neck.

She tried a downward arc toward his legs, which he blocked with a mirrored move. She drew back and then stabbed at the control box on his chest. The enemy knocked the attack away. He began walking toward her on the offensive. She parried blow after blow, but her responses slowed as she was forced to step backward.

"Call on your rage," Starkiller said. "It's the only way to win this."

Leia tripped over a droid part on the floor. Pseudo-Vader suddenly zoomed forward and stabbed down at her chest. She jerked her body sideways to block with the base of her blade. Her body suit sizzled at the shoulder, but she was OK. The giant stepped on her leg to keep her in place and leaned his weight on their locked blades. Leia's face screwed up with effort. And then her eyes flared with something else.

A new-found strength drove Pseudo-Vader's weapon back at him. Soon she was on one knee and then standing in a crouch. She shoved him back a couple of steps and straightened. Then the shadow began its next flurry of swipes and stabs from all possible directions, faster than before. She dealt with them all and swiped at any opening she found. The green blade slashed deep into Pseudo-Vader's midsection. But she kept going until the form of Darth Vader disappeared and all that remained was Proxy's smoking and damaged body at her feet.

The woman turned off the lightsaber and dropped it. Sweat drenched her flushed face.

And then Starkiller was upon Leia. He took her by the shoulder and slammed her front into the nearest wall. She kicked him with her heel. He applied more pressure and then with his other hand traced the tips of his index and middle finger down the wound. His eyes were furious, hers were terrified. But then her body slackened.

She moaned. "Pain's gone." The gash was healed.

He lowered his arms. "Hatred has healing properties. The emotion gives us reason to live."

The woman turned to him and wiped her eyes. "It's an emotion that's been difficult for me to feel in any capacity. Except for Skywalker. And Vader."

"And me?"

She lowered her gaze to her combat boots.

"You'd best learn to hate me. Your hatred helped you survive the duel, and you'll need to summon it many times in the future to continue surviving."

His cleared his throat and his tone afterward became less dramatic. "I'll be here once a week. Proxy can stay to keep you company and help sharpen your skills while I'm gone. That lightsaber," He pointed to the floor behind him. "Is mine. I expect you to keep track of it."

"Take me with you," Leia said, grabbing his wrist. "Wherever you're going."

Starkiller pulled away. "Someday. Prove yourself to me first."

"Prove myself to you. And how does that happen, precisely? Look, morale is important for a student. My morale would be much higher if you allowed me fresh air. Civilization. Action."

The man stared blankly at her for a few seconds. "I'm the teacher. I decide these things," He made for his ship, leaving her to stand alone next to Proxy.

"Master's gone so soon?" The droid sat up with great effort. "I had best initiate self-repair sequences."

* * *

That night Leia found herself in the swamp. The voice came from further away than before. "Into a trap of the mind, have you fallen. Climb, you must."

The moist ground sank at her feet until she was trapped in a dark pit. She felt along the wall until her hand met a vine. She began to climb. But her feet slipped. Her hands slid.

Leia opened her eyes to see her dark quarters. Soon she stared at herself in the mirror, clenching the sink and scowling. _What has the light done for me? A question I was too scared to face before sleeping. I paid for it. I think Yoda of Dagobah may be out of luck if he wants me to escape and find him. But he could be my over-active imagination. Guilt personified. I have a feeling I'll never know for sure, because my new life is here._ She slapped her forehead. _Stop giving in, Leia. Your new life is that of a prisoner. Everything's against my will. I'm more motivated than this. I can plan some way out. Right?_


	6. Six

froovygirl: A person's fortitude can only go so far! And yeah, writing for the dark side is more compelling than the opposite route. The Code of the Sith reads like a formula for great drama. Thank you for continuing to read, by the way.

Rosesforever294: Leia was acting enthusiastic because she wanted a chance to escape. :)

* * *

Leia sat cross-legged and held a glowing blade inches from her face. She stared into the crimson with focus.

"I sense too much inner struggle," Starkiller stood a few feet behind her in a spacious portion of the docking bay. "These meditations are meant to clear thoughts and feelings, but they have the opposite effect on you, for some weird reason. I want to know what's been holding you back. Tell me what's in that rebellious mind."

Leia switched the lightsaber off and rolled it away. "I feel as though I've already betrayed the Alliance. Every one of them was my child in cause. And I've left my children in the cold night to face the predators alone," She lowered her voice, speaking to herself as much as him. "My hope is almost gone. Resistance becomes harder with each passing day."

The man slammed a fist into his palm. "You represent my failure. I should have broken you by now. You should be out there with me as we speak, but you keep being stubborn. I think of your face every time I'm on a mission and it gives me the fuel I need to dominate enemies."

Leia squeezed her eyes shut too late. Tears ran. _I've started looking forward to these lessons. PROXY is artificial company. I need flesh and blood. I miss his presence when he leaves and I hate myself for it. I hate that his words can hurt me._

The woman rose and stretched out a hand. Starkiller levitated from the floor, gripped his throat.

"Is this what my dear teacher wanted? Are you proud, Starkiller?" She tightened her telekinetic grip and the man's eyes bulged. She flung him against a wall and then slammed his head into the ceiling. He fell with a THUNK, gasping raggedly for breath. Leia walked relaxedly to him and placed her boot on his head. "Adorable impression of an aquatic animal."

_I could destroy him. Escape on Rogue Shadow. The act would be satisfying to my core._

But Starkiller twitched his finger. Leia abruptly shot upward herself. Her head collided with the ceiling and then the floor. She blinked several times, glanced around disoriented. _I was in a drunken stupor._

The man lay on his back, resigned. They were both silent for a while before he turned to face her. "Words can cause worse damage than Force-lightning. Mine backfired on me."

Leia sat up on an elbow and moved a lock of hair behind an ear. "It did hurt when you said that I represented your failure," She gazed into his eyes. "But now I suspect some interesting implications in being your object of hate."

He raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

She elaborately shrugged a shoulder and looked away. "Oh. Nothing."

Starkiller sighed. "I guess we're ready to go."

"Huh? Where?"

"The Imperial Palace on Coruscant. Emperor Vader awaits."

* * *

Leia soon boarded Rogue Shadow with Starkiller and PROXY.

"May I dial up my difficulty settings and plan a surprise duel, Master, for old times' sake? Mistress Organa is an efficient fighter, but nothing compared to you."

"Negative, PROXY."

"Lounge," Starkiller told Leia. There were counters topped by food preparing machines, and a round table for eating. "Training room," He pointed to a sealed blast door.

They stepped into the cockpit and Leia froze. A stunning blonde woman in a black Imperial uniform grinned at them and saluted.

"And this is Captain Rayla," Starkiller plopped down in the co-pilot's seat and busied himself with the control panel.

"Pleased to meet you. . ." The captain extended her hand for Leia to shake.

Leia clenched her jaw and shook Rayla's hand. "PROXY over there addresses me as Mistress Organa."

The other woman looked caught off-guard. "I see," Then extracted her hand and took her seat.

The ship exited through a transparent force-field and rotated around to its new course. A Super Star Destroyer came into view, more than fourteen kilometers long. "That explains the life I felt all these weeks," Leia said.

"The Executor is Lord Skywalker's flagship," Starkiller explained. "He keeps his Force-signature masked, or you would've felt him very close by."

Leia shivered.

"How long will we be staying on Coruscant, sir?" Rayla asked, her voice sweet and high. "Will you want me to dock us in the industrial center?"

"Hard to say. Enter at point five-hundred and cloak on approach to the palace. I'll update you when I know," He left the two women alone in the cockpit.

"Please be seated," Rayla said. "We'll enter hyperspace in twelve seconds."

Leia did as instructed, murmuring. Pulsating lines of light stretched over the Rogue Shadow.

"How long have you known Starkiller?" Leia asked, a bit too casually.

"A couple months," Rayla grinned over her shoulder.

"A man like that must really use up his pilots."

Rayla shifted. "What do you mean?"

"I mean he goes on top secret assignments across the galaxy, facing enemies we can hardly imagine. I would feel vulnerable in your position, even with the stealth technology."

The captain gave an audible swallow, keeping her attention on the control panel. "I assure you that I am qualified to serve. We are safe."

* * *

Leia excused herself and walked to the lounge. Proxy sat still and quiet at a table. She went to a beverage console, poured two cups of hot coffee, and walked to the training room to find it closed. She kicked the blast door a few times, sloshing the drinks. It opened. The man was cross-legged as she had been earlier that day, but floated several feet from the floor. A red mist drifted over his body; pure, solidified rage.

"Come in," He said, keeping his eyes shut.

She did so, and the door snapped behind her. "I brought us drinks. But I can leave if you're busy."

"You accepted our present destination way too easily," He said. "Let me guess. You plan to make an assassination attempt on the Emperor."

Leia gasped and spilled some coffee on her wrists. "That's a crazy idea."

"Crazy and stupid. Something the little princess is capable of."

The woman set the cups on the floor and wiped her hands on her black body suit. "The little princess is about to crush your throat again."

Starkiller finally opened his eyes and lowered his legs to stand. The red mist evaporated. "I'd like to see you try."

She pressed her lips together, took a deep breath, and lowered her gaze. "I've let you keep your past a secret. It's none of my business, and I know it must be painful to relive. But let me ask you one thing. Did you ever try?"

He tilted his head. "Try what?"

"Try to overthrow your master. And his lapdog."

"I would be dead if I had ever tried. True, the Sith are known to betray one another out of habit and tradition. But I am what could best be described as a generic practitioner of the dark side. A tier below the Sith. Their powers are beyond me."

Leia ran a hand through her hair. "Humility, huh? Sorry, but I believe you're only claiming that. The dark side consumes its slaves with the will to destroy. I know from experience. When I tried to. . . to kill you, I felt hungry to extend and test my powers further."

Starkiller threw his arms up. "Then go ahead. When we get there, take out your lightsaber and chop away at them. See where it gets you."

"Perhaps you're discouraging me because you care? Seeing your apprentice die would break your heart to pieces. Admit it."

"I don't have to admit anything. Now leave me alone," He stepped closer and jabbed a finger into her chest.

"Help me destroy them," Leia took his hand and raised it to her lips. She kissed his knuckles while batting her lashes at him. "We can succeed. If we work together."


End file.
